Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John Island and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $6,147 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $62,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

296

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
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Saint John Island Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,147

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint John Island and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saint John Island and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $6,147 per month in Saint John Island vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint John Island $6,147
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $8,398 per month in Saint John Island vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint John Island $8,398
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $10.6K per month in Saint John Island vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint John Island $10.6K
Chiang Mai $1,903

Saint John Island costs about 564% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saint John Island sits 354% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$70.5 $70.5

$2.29 ฿76.5

2978.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 $147

$19.64 ฿656

649.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.70 $14.70

$5.61 ฿188

162.03%

Cappuccino

$9.12 $9.12

$1.66 ฿55.6

449.40%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$0.70 ฿23.40

410.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$0.31 ฿10.24

1009.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.41 ฿80.4

101.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.71 ฿124

83.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.95 ฿65.3

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$8.12 $8.12

$1.41 ฿47.03

475.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$12.15 $12.15

$1.31 ฿43.62

827.48%

Eggs

$11.83 $11.83

$2.18 ฿72.9

442.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.38 $31.38

$16.65 ฿556

88.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$32.45 $32.45

$2.76 ฿92.2

1075.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.40 $24.40

$9.11 ฿304

167.84%

Apples (1kg)

$22.40 $22.40

$2.39 ฿80.0

837.24%

Banana (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.03 ฿34.26

290.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$17.72 $17.72

$1.63 ฿54.4

987.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.20 $12.20

$1.50 ฿50.0

713.33%

Potato (1kg)

$7.90 $7.90

$1.29 ฿43.13

512.40%

Onion (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$1.11 ฿37.03

609.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.13 $5.13

$0.72 ฿24.08

612.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$0.53 ฿17.59

558.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.31 ฿144

106.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.37 $23.37

$17.95 ฿600

30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.58 ฿52.9

179.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$2.84 ฿95.0

111.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.10 $7.10

$0.86 ฿28.86

725.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 $150

$53.3 ฿1,780

181.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$30.19 $30.19

$1.21 ฿40.29

2395.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.78 $49.78

$2.35 ฿78.6

2018.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.44 ฿47.96

13.19%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$47.1K $47.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

127.19%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$52.8K $52.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

97.04%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$302 $302

$62.3 ฿2,083

385.30%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$99.7 $99.7

$12.11 ฿405

723.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 $101

$19.94 ฿666

406.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.6 $81.6

$53.7 ฿1,796

51.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.95 $49.95

$24.62 ฿823

102.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 $83.4

$90.9 ฿3,036

-8.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 $99.9

$71.1 ฿2,378

40.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,920 $3,920

$455 ฿15.2K

760.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 $3,521

$298 ฿9,954

1082.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,982 $4,982

$908 ฿30.4K

448.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,584 $4,584

$554 ฿18.5K

727.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,557 $4,557

$591 ฿19.7K

671.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

25.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Saint John Island: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Saint John Island

$3.5K 57.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 91.5% $3.2K

Groceries & Markets

Saint John Island

$989 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 76.2% $753

Eating Out

Saint John Island

$784 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 90% $705

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John Island

$503 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 81.2% $409

Getting Around

Saint John Island

$209 * 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 70.9% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John Island

$142 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 23.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John Island

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,920 in Saint John Island versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 671% higher in Saint John Island, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $147 in Saint John Island versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $989 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

17:53 5:53 PM

11 h ahead of Saint John Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,170

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John Island Chiang Mai 15,520 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John Island
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saint John Island vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John Island costs about 564% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $9,220 per month in Saint John Island and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 181% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 320% more in Saint John Island, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Saint John Island at $6,147. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John Island it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $6,147 in Saint John Island. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint John Island makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.